


Reading

by tveckling



Category: Dishonored (Video Games)
Genre: Could be gen though, Fluff, Human Outsider (Dishonored), M/M, Post-DotO
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-18
Updated: 2018-01-18
Packaged: 2019-03-06 11:48:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13410633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tveckling/pseuds/tveckling
Summary: Corvo discovers an unexpected secret.





	Reading

One might have thought that after losing his ability to jump around by using the Void the Outsider wouldn’t be able to sneak up on people any longer, much less such an experienced and paranoid man like Corvo. One would then be wrong.

Forcing his clenched fist to relax Corvo took a deep breath, feeling his heart slowly calm down again. Was it his imagination or had the damn Outsider actually gotten better at sneaking since he had come to live in the tower? It didn’t go one week without him popping up behind or next to Corvo, completely without the Royal Protector noticing him. A few times Corvo had wondered if the Outsider was actually trying to send him to his grave.

Like now, standing as he was behind Corvo’s seat with an expression of profound oblivious innocent. No one who looked that innocent was guiltless. “Are you feeling okay? You look rather tense, my dear Corvo.”

“Oh, do I?” Corvo muttered with a grimace as he turned back to his book. No reason to try and argue with the former god; he had tried it enough times to know that the Outsider could talk his way around anything or anyone.

“Yes, you certainly do.” Without asking for or waiting for permission the Outsider sat down next to Corvo, peering at the book in his hands. “I see you have started a new one. What is this book about?”

With only a light sigh Corvo raised to book to let the Outsider read the cover, while he looked for where he had been interrupted.

“That tells me nothing. I want to hear if from you, Corvo. Tell me about this book you’re reading.”

Such demands. Corvo rolled his eyes and stubbornly kept his eyes on the page. “If you want to know about it so much I can lend it to you after I’m done. I’m sure you’ll love it.” Or maybe not. Corvo had no idea.

“That won’t happen.”

The Outsider sounded- upset? Enough that Corvo turned his head, to see him staring at the wall with crossed arms and a frown. “Why not? I won’t burn the book, or destroy every copy on the Isles, promise.”

“I have no doubts about that,” the Outsider answered, without so much as smirking at Corvo’s words. “But even if you would put the open book in front of my eyes I would not be able to read it.”

Corvo blinked, going through what he had just been told. The meaning was clear, but the thought was strange enough he’d call it ridiculous. “You mean you can’t read?”

“That’s exactly what I mean. I must have been able to, once upon a time, but with my first death I must have lost it. How else would you explain me being unable to read my own mark?”

“There’s no need for that tone,” Corvo admonished idly, thoughts racing through his mind. “But haven’t you learned how to read during all this time that you watched people?”

The Outsider shrugged. “I watched the people, Corvo, not what they wrote. It never seemed to matter.”

Corvo supposed it made a certain sense. If you could see everything someone did, then there wasn’t much need to look through every word they wrote, now was there? But still, there was something bothering him.

“The letters! What about all the letters and correspondence you’ve received since you came here? I have sent you some reports I thought you’d find interesting, and I know both Emily and Billie has sent letters.” As well as numerous invitations to random nobles’ parties and whatnot. The aristocracy’s interest in any suddenly appearing mysterious guests, who also seemed to have the Empress’ and her Royal Bodyguard’s ears, had not gone unnoticed by Corvo. Nor had the Outsider utter disinterest in them.

The Outsider thought for a second, then hummed. “Ah, yes, I remember. They lie on my desk.”

“All of them?” A nod. “Unopened?” A shrug accompanied by a nod. Corvo shook his head, feeling like a headache might be on the way. “Why didn’t you say something? We would have arranged for someone to teach you.”

“I suppose I was still stuck in the mindset that it was unneeded. And, I suppose,” the Outsider hesitated, “it’s such a big part of every person’s life. Every child learns to read and write. To admit that I cannot…”

Corvo didn’t say anything as the Outsider fell silent. Although he couldn’t truly understand how it was for him, to be a god and then return to humanity, Corvo could understand what it was like to have a secret you didn’t dare let other people know about. To have the Outsider tell him, albeit after the situation forced him to, was a sign of trust.

“Okay. I won’t bring in any random person, but you do still need to learn. Like you said, it’s important. And thinking about all those rapport I’ve sent to you for no reason…” Corvo sighed, then looked over at the Outsider, meeting his eyes with what he hoped was a confident look. “I’ll teach you. That way it’ll stay between just us.”

The Outsider’s frown stayed a few moments as he thought, but then he smiled, relief and excitement blending together. Corvo couldn’t help but smile back, even as he wondered if he had made the right decision. But he had managed to teach Emily the various skills she had needed, right? It couldn’t be harder than that.


End file.
